Ghosts of the Past
by ilovetvalot
Summary: We all have those ghosts that haunt us at our most vulnerable moments. Can Emily help Reid overcome his? Emily/Reid


_Author's Note: We're excited to announce our Round 3 of our Fanfic Challenge on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. The __**Dealer's Choice August Challenge**__ is a great way to stretch your writing muscles! Simply suggest a pairing from the seven main Criminal Minds characters and list three different things to include in the story. (Example: You request Hotch/Emily and your prompts are a starry night, a cashmere blanket and a bottle of Merlot.) Your suggestion will be assigned to another author, and you'll receive a similar suggestion. Your final story must include your assigned pairing and must include at least two of the three prompts you were given in some capacity. Stories can be short or long, romantic or friendship, angst or humor…and anything else in between! Signups will continue through August 2, assignments will be given on August 3, and stories are due by August 31! Please visit the forum or shoot us a PM if you are interested in participating. We'd love to have you! And please visit the forum to read our latest interview with the simply amazing __**JWynn**__! And, please remember our fellow author,__** Angel N Darkness**__, who was in a serious car accident on Sunday. Visit the discussion thread to leave your best wishes. Updates on her condition will be posted there as we receive them. And finally, for those of you that wish to see a different side of talented actress __**Kirsten Vangness**__, please visit __**www. vampiremob. com**__ (delete the spaces) to see her portray the anti-Garcia on a new webisode series._

**Ghosts of the Past**

Glancing around the dimly lit jet bound for home, Emily Prentiss surveyed the faces of her fellow teammates, finding them in various stages of relaxation. Which was not at all surprising, considering the difficult case they had once again completed.

JJ sat draped with a blanked over her ever chilled body, leaning slightly against David Rossi's arm, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. Dave sat somewhat slumped in his own seat, half-heartedly reading some kind of paperback book. Morgan had his head thrown back against his cushioned seat, eyes closed, iPod firmly planted in his ears while his finger still moved to a beat heard only by him. And Aaron had finally shuffled his loose paperwork back into his briefcase and sat staring out the darkened window, heavy-lidded, but impassive as always.

Which left the last person on their team. Spencer. And from the uncertain look on his normally expressive face, she was certain that he was not experiencing the same restfulness as the remainder of their team.

"Hey," Emily murmured, taking the seat beside the young genius, settling easily as she turned to face him.

"Hey," Reid returned with a small, almost pained smile, his lips stretching tightly. "How are you, Emily?" he asked, nervously folding the corner of the file in his hand.

"I was going to ask you that question, Reid," Emily replied, her soft voice filled with concern. "You've seemed sort of distant the past couple of days." More distant than usual, Emily worried silently, trying to read the expression in Reid's now shuttered eyes.

"I'm fine," Reid declared quickly. Much too quickly even to his own ears.

"You're lying, Spencer," Emily countered softly, his snapped words jumbling off his tongue. "And you never lie. At least not to me," she murmured, touching his arm lightly, letting her fingers rest against his wrist.

"It's nothing," Reid argued, his eyes fixating on the seat in front of him, attempting to control his breathing, his heart beating rapidly in his throat. "Really."

"One more lie and I go get Hotch. Or JJ," Emily warned quietly, tapping her finger against his skin, his pulse point jumping beneath her touch. "You can talk to me, Reid. Tell me what has you tied in knots."

Sinking his teeth into his lower lip, Spence inwardly groaned. God! He thought he'd done a better job at hiding how much turmoil he was in. Luckily, no one other than the woman beside him seemed to have noticed.

But, unfortunately for him, Emily Prentiss was relentless in her pursuits, whether she be chasing unsubs or reluctant teammates. And she didn't deliver idle threats. Looking around anxiously, he scanned his surroundings, his eyes searching for any inquisitive gazes or listening ears.

"Everyone is either sleeping or preoccupied, Spencer. It's safe to share," Emily said, carefully keeping her voice low, barely audible over the plane's engine.

Swallowing past his anxiety, Spence offered Emily a sidelong glance. Seeing only earnest compassion reflected in her understanding eyes, he relaxed slightly. This was Emily, after all. The woman that had put herself between himself and danger on more than one occasion, never hesitating to keep him safe. And he knew she'd willingly do it again any time she felt the situation warranted her intervention.

Like now.

"Today is an anniversary of sorts for me," Spencer confided faintly, his cheeks reddening slightly as he spoke, his words hesitant as he gathered his courage to continue.

"What kind of anniversary, Reid?" Emily asked carefully, not wanting to bully the younger man, but wanting an honest explanation.

"The anniversary of the first date I used. Five years ago today, Tobias Henkel kidnapped me…and, well…you know what happened," Spencer whispered, dropping his gaze to his hands, clenched tightly in his lap, his ability to speak suddenly not the guarantee it had been moments earlier.

"Only what was in the official report. You've never talked to me about that night. But I can say that I remember that those drugs were forced on you, Reid. You didn't willingly start taking them. You became addicted because of the actions of a deranged unsub. Not because you were out somewhere looking to score a hit of an illegal substance."

"No," Reid snorted, feeling that familiar shame roiling in his stomach, twinges of those earlier days smashing wildly in his thoughts. "That came later," he admitted guiltily. "Regardless of how I got hooked though, nothing justified my actions, Emily."

"You got help, Reid. You're clean now," Emily reminded him, his strangled voice triggering her own anxious thoughts. Worried eyes flashing, she whispered, "You are, aren't you? You haven't slipped, have you?"

"No," Reid shook his head quickly, taking momentary pride in the small fact that he could say that one word with complete honesty. "It's just…on nights like tonight…when the ghosts of the past return to haunt me…I think about it more. It's harder, you know?"

"Actually, I kind of get it. Not the addiction part…but the being tormented by ghosts. Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I can still hear Cyrus whispering in my ear…or feel that car rolling with me and that unsub in it. I think it's a pretty common side effect of our job," Emily said gently, leaning her head back against the leather seat. "The nightmares, I mean."

"I didn't realize that you had that problem," Reid said, slightly shocked, his head jerking quickly toward the raven-headed woman beside him.

"I'd hazard to say we all have those apparitions trailing us at times, Spencer," Emily assured him, her voice dry but compassionate. "We're not superhuman."

"No…but you never act like anything bothers you. I guess I thought that you were somehow immune from it," Reid tried to explain, the words escaping him as he tried to analyze this new piece of information.

"Not immune. Just better at compartmentalizing than most," Emily shrugged. "At any rate, you shouldn't feel alone."

"Thanks," Reid murmured, his shoulders dropping slightly as he let his hands rest against his thighs. "I appreciate that."

"I mean it, Reid," Emily replied. "There's no reason to suffer through this alone. I'm here for you," she said, covering his hand with hers and squeezing gently.

Nodding as he allowed the feel of her warm fingers to seep into his chilled skin, Reid slowly relaxed against his seat, not nearly as lost as he once was. He wasn't alone anymore.

No matter where his mind took him from this point forward, now he knew that someone would always find him.

_**finis**_


End file.
